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I’m a bit of a geek and trained as a science writer, so I subscribe to a number of science news and information newsletters. The other day this story from the Genetics Society of America came across my email box and I thought I’d share the gist of it with you.

Recent research, reported in the July 2010 issue of Genetics, shows that genes interacting with diet, rather than diet alone, are the main cause of variation in metabolic traits, such as body weight.

What does this mean? Well, it means that it is not just what you eat, but how your body interacts with what you eat that affects your ability to maintain your body weight. It also explains why some diets work better for some people than others.

The bottom line: This study strongly suggests that some individuals can achieve benefits from altering their dietary habits, while the same changes for others will have virtually no effect.

So, remember that fad diet you tried that worked great for your friend but not for you … it doesn’t mean you did something wrong. It just means that the diet wasn’t right for you and your individual genetic make up.

Now, this research was conducted using fruit flies … so the findings are not conclusive for humans. But it does point in a very interesting direction. There has been talk of tailoring medication to one’s genetic make up. The findings of this study suggest that diets could also be much more successful when tailored to an individual’s genes rather than to physical appearance, as well.

“Each person has a unique set of genetic and environmental factors contributing to his or her metabolic health,” said Laura K. Reed, Ph.D, a researcher from the Department of Genetics at North Carolina State University, the lead investigator in the work, “and as a society, we should stop looking for a panacea and start accepting that this is a complex problem that may have a different solution for each individual.”

What I find also interesting is how this research intersects with the I Create My Body program. You see, your body intuitively knows what’s good for you. When you participate in this program, you help your mind listen to your body, which means you will be more inclined to eat the foods that your body needs to loose and eventually maintain an healthy body weight. Basically, this program helps your mind and body work together to create your ideal body.